Red Cross offers entry into drawing for $1,000 gas card

Local citizens will have the chance to make summer truly extraordinary by visiting an American Red Cross blood donor center or blood drive. In about an hour, a donor can turn a typical summer day into an extraordinary gift for a patient in need.

A single donation can help save up to three lives, according to a Red Cross press release.

As an extra incentive this summer, anyone who presents to donate blood with the Red Cross between July 1 and Sept. 5 is automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a $250 gas card. On the July 4 and Labor Day weekends, those attempting to donate Friday through Monday will be entered into a drawing for a $1,000 gas card.

There is no substitute for human blood. Supplies of O negative are at critical levels and donors are asked to respond now. Volunteer donors are the only lifeline for patients in need of a transfusion.

Call (800) RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org to schedule your donation appointment. For contest rules and regulations, click here.